Tobacco-press



. (No ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. M. GUERRANT.

M m 1 X W Na 8 P B R P Q N A T i (No Modem 4 sheets -sheet 2.

' P. M. GUERRANT.

' TOBACCO PRESS;

' Patented Nov;2 ,1886.

(Nb Model.) .4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. M. GUERRANT.

TOBACCO PRESS.

No. 352.052. Patented Nov. 2, 1886,

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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' P. M. GUERRANT.

. TOBACCO PRESS.

No. 352,052. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

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PETER M. GUERRANT, or DANVILLE,.VIRGINIA.

TOBACCO-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION formingipart of Letters Patent No. 352,052, dated November 2, 1886 I Application filed April 19, 1886. Serial No. 199,289. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER M. GUERRANT,- of Danville, in the county of Pittsylvania and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

reference being had'to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification,

in which Figure '1 is a plan view of the press com-' V Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sec-.

plete. tion of same on linear, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line 3 y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of cylinder and truck. Fig. 5 is aview of the cylinder, showing both halves open. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sec-- of lever N and attachmentmFig. 13, a sec tional detail of block H and lever J Fig. 14 is a transverse section through plunger'F and easing G, showing one of the frictionrrollers. Fig. 15 is a sectional elevation of the cylindrical packing-box. Fig. 16 is a plan iew of thesame with the top removed. v

"This invention relates 'to improvements in machines for pressing plug-tobacco, the main objects being to perform the operation more rapidly and with greater economy, and to. keep the charges of tobacco, which are to form the plugs, under pressure for the necessary time, to prevent their after expansiomwithont stopping the action of the machine.

The invention consists in the construction and novel arrangement ofparts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings, and

pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

.. In the construction of this machine a set of railways and small cars are used, which are supported upon a frame distinctfrom but coner than the same.

'nected to the frame which supports the pressing mechanism.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A 4

designates the railway-supporting frame, of general rectangular shape, and supported upon legs at its corners, as shown. Upon the bed of the frame A are arranged four sections of railway, a a and a a each running along one of the four sides .of said bed, the former two longitudinally to the same and the latter transverse] y thereto. The inner longitudinal railway, a, is cut away near the front or working side of the machine, so as to form a rectangular recess, a, into which the inner end of the mechanism-supporting frame, hereinafter described, enters. The end Ways are preferably made much narrower than the side ways: The ways a" and a, are suficiently lower than the ways a a to allow the trucks tobe rolled on the sections of track on the cars 0, which travel on the ways to" a The ways a a are preferably made narrower than the ways a a, to allow the cars 0 to be made narrower, and consequently the way a to be made shorter, and to receive the'proper number of packed cylinders to allow the contents of the one adjacent to the way a" to be a sufficient time under pressure.

It is obvious that the ways could all be made of the same width, but it would make theinachine inconveniently large,

B Bare the forming or compression cylinders for the tobacco. Each cylinder is divided into two equal longitudinal sections, B and B thelower of which,B ,has j ournaled in proper hearings on a truck, 12, secured to its under surface, the two shafts of the double-flanged wheels I), as shown. The sides of this truck are cut down at their central portions, upon which the lower section, B, of the formingcylinder rests,the journal-bearings being high- By this meansthere is less distance from the central longitudinal line of the cylinder to the truck on which it rests, and consequently less danger of breakage from leverage when the compression takes place in the cylinder.

From the lower section,B ,on oneside thereof, stand out the equidistant-hinged lugs I), each of which fits snugly between two hinge-lugs,

if, standing out from the meeting edge of the upper section, B. The said lugs are provided with transverse openings, and the lower lugs stand upward, so that the rod If, which passes through thelug-oponings and completes the hinge, has its axis in the same horizontal plane as that of the cylinder. The said rod has a head on one end, and on the threaded opposite end a nut to retain it in place. The hinges are preferably three in number, but any desired number may be used.

Standing outfrom the edges of both sections, opposite the hinges and corresponding in nun1- ber thereto, are the locking-lugs Z), each pro vided with a vertical slot for the accommodation of a key, 2)", which passes through the slots of the corresponding upper and lower lugs. The said key has its upper end longitudinally slotted and its lower end threaded. b isa locking-key passing through said slot, and if a nut engaging the threaded end, so that when the sections are closed upon eachother the key b passed into the slots of the lugs If, and the key I)", passed into the slot of the formerkeyahenut may be screwed up and the sections of the cylinder closed firmly together. When thus closed, the sections form a tube having its inner end, or end facing'the working mechanism, beveled internally at b, and Slotted lugs b stand out from said end, one vertically above the other, the slot in the upper lug being larger than that in the l0wer,-to accommodate a tapered key, b, which looks the compressed charges or plugs in the cylinder. The opposite end of the cylinderor tube has around its edge the inward-standing flange If, and b is an end plug in the cylinder fitting snugly therein, and having a reduced portion that fits within the flange b, as shown.

Upon the end ways, a a, run the cars C, which have journaled in proper bearings secured to their platforms double-flanged wheels 0, similar and equal in size to the wheels b. Each car 0 has upon it a section of track, 0, corresponding to the ways a a, and the ways a a are arranged sufficiently below the former ways to bring the section 0 to the level of the same, so that the trucks can readily be rolled from the ways a a onto the section 0 on the cars.

0 c are stop projections rising from the platform of each car 0, between the rails there of. \Vhen the truck passes off of a or a onto a car 0, its under section strikes against the edges of these projections, and is thereby re tained on the car.

a 0* are notches in the ends of the platforms of the truck, into which enters one of the stops 0, secured to the frame A, when the car has reached either end of the way a or a. As the forming-cylinders B lie transversely to the ways a a and longitudinally to the ways a a the former are preferably much broader than the latter.

A number of forming-cylinders are used, so that the operation of compressing need not be stopped to unload those already charged, as will become apparentin the description of the operation of the machine. The same may, if desired, be re-enforeed circumferentially at points corresponding to the positions of the hingesandlockii1g-lugs,an(lalsolongitudinally inward from the lugs If, to prevent the latter from liability of brealring'at their points of junction.

D is a charging-tube of suitable length, having an internal diameter equal to that of the cylinders, and externally beveled at one end, d, to fit against the internal bevels, b", of the cylinders, so that the bores of the two can be brought accurately in line with each other. The other end of the charging-tube is cut away for a proper distance at its upper part at d, the cut-away portion having rather more than half the diameter of the tube, and sloping upward at its inner end when the tube becomes complete.

d is a cylindrical block fitting easily in the charging-tube and cylinders and cut into two nearly equalsections, hingedtogeth er, as shown. The functions of said block and cut-away portion of the tube are hereinafter explained.

E is the mechanism-supporting frame, of very solid.- construction, and preferably of iron. Each end of the said frame is supported upon very strong legs, as the whole pressure of the actuating mechanism is sustained upon its platform. The said frame has the general form of a narrow rectangle, and its inner end enters and fits snugly within the recess of the frame A, the higher portion of the platform of the latter being at the same level as that of the former. The said inner end has upon it a section of track, 0, of equal width to and lying in line with the inner way, a, of the frame A, and connecting said way with the end way, 01 of the said frame, though not on the same level as the latter frame.

e e are brackets secured by bolts or otherwise to the platform of the frame E, and having upwardly-extending curved arms e", the continuous inner faces of which are made on the are of a circle, as shown. The said faces are adapted to receive and hold securely the charger-tubeD when slid into the brackets, which are secured to the frame at sufficient distances from the section a to allow the tube to be brought into contact with a cylinder when on said section and move outward therefrom without disengaging from the brackets.

e is an abutment-block made in one piece with the inner end of the frame E, and standing up therefrom at a proper position to have the inner end of a cylinder rest against it, so as to sustain the same when the compression mechanism is acting. The said block is preferably re-enforced at its foot to prevent it being broken off from the frame E.

The compression mechanism is as follows:

F is a plunger-bar, having its inner portion, f, cylindrical, and of proper diameter to enter snugly, but without friction, into a formingcylinder and the charging-tube. The end of said portion f is provided with a vertical diametrical notch, f, for a purpose hereinafter explained. I The outer portion, of the plunger-block is rectangular in cross-section, and has formed upon the outer portion of its outer side a rack, f, the inclined faces of the teeth of which are inclined toward the frame A and charger-tube when in position.

f is a handle standing at aproper ,point from the upper surface of the plunger-bar; By

f not extending down below the upward exmeans of this handle the said bar can be retracted by hand. The part f of the plungerbar moves in a long rectangular casing, G, secured to the platform of the frame E, and made preferably of steel/ The said casing covers the rear and lower sides of the part f of the plunger-bar, but only covers partially the upper and front sides thereof, the rack tension of the casing on the front side, and its handle f being so situated as to travel freely to the outer side of the extension of the same on the upper side, so that the casing, while perfectly directing the plunger-bar, does not interfere with the functions of said parts.

9 g are vertical friction-rollers having their shafts journaled in the upper and lower sides of the casing G to the rearof the plunger-bar, so that the same rests upon them and moves more easily.

The following are the means by which the plunger-bar is moved inward to compress the tobacco in the cylinder.

H is a vilorating lever-block'pivoted centrally through its head to a sufficiently-high I support rising from the frame E to the outer side of the plunger-block. Upon the inner side of said head is made a vertical concave notch, 'h, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The outwardly-extending arm h of the vibrating block is pivoted between the end of two similar links,-I, which have pivoted between- -their oppositeends the shortinner arm of a lever, J pivoted upon a support rising to a proper height from the frame E. The long outer arm, j, of said lever has its end rounded to fit into a corresponding socket of a supplementary lever-bar, j, when great power is necessary. 1 w

K is an actuatingpawl, the inner end of which is formed to engage with the teeth of the plunger-bar and .move the latter inward. The outer end of the pawl is rounded, so as to enter the notch hot the block H and be moved inward thereby. V

k is a link-bar having one end pivoted on the pawl, nearitsouter end, and the other end pivoted upon the head of the block H, so as to be pulled outward thereby as the same moves outward, thepoint of the pawl slipping over the teeth of the rack.-

L isa double-arm lever pivoted centrally upon a vertical shaft, Z, rising from the platform of the frame E at a proper point. To the end of the outer arm of the lever L is pivoted one end of a link, M, the other end of which is pivoted upon the pawl K, near the point of the same.

M is a link having one end pivoted to the end of the inner arm of the lever L and the other end to the outer and shorter arm of a disengaging-lever, N, hereinafter more fully described, the said lever being pivoted upon I a vertical shaft, m, rising from the platform of the frame E at a suitable point. I

O is a retaining-pawl having its outer end pivoted upon the shaft m, below the lever N,

and its inner end formed into a point to engage the teeth of the plunger-bar.

' 12 is a double-armed plate-spring secured centrally to the shaft Z, below the lever .L. The outer arm of said spring presses against the pawl K, and its inner arm presses against the pawl O in such manner as to force both into engagement with the teeth of the plungerbar. i

The lever N has'dependiug from its under surface, near the inner edge thereof, a pin, a, which strikes against the inner edge of the pawl O and moves the same outward when the-inner long arm, n, of said lever is drawn outward. The said arm, when pulled to its greatest extent outward, engages on a notch, Z, in the upper edge of a horizontal bar, R, that stands ontwardfrom the side of the easing G. The arm n, of the lever has enough vertical motion to fall into the notch when moved thereto, and to be lifted out of the'same to disengageit. When the block H is actuated by means ofthe lever J and links I, the pawl K is moved inward by the'notch h in said block, and being engaged with the teeth of the retainingbar moves the latter inward, and in moving in the opposite directionslips over said teeth, during which the plunger-bar is prevented from moving outward by the engagement of the pawl with its teeth. The plnngenbar is thus moved intermittingly continuously inward. To releasethe plunger-bar, the lever N is pushed outward, so as to engage the. notch Z. The pin a then moves the pawl O outward and disengages it from the teeth on the bar, while the links M M and lever L also disengage the pawl K therefrom. The plunger-bar can then be pulled outward by means of its handlef S is a cylindrical packing-box of suflicient size to contain the number of plugs formed in one cylinder at one time. The said box has a notch, s, at the reduced part, over which the IIO cap fits foreasy removal of the plugs within.

The plugs formed by this machine are diskshaped, and may be plain, but are preferably like that shown in the drawings, being shaped between iron disks T, having two concentric raised or embossed rings, 15, upon them, so that the plugs t take the same shape.

The method in which the machine is operated is as follows: The empty cylinders, with their trucks resting on the way a, are rolled tobacco, and so on till the cylinder is full.

The charging-tube is then slid up against the cylinder, the beveled ends of the two being in contact. The hinged block is then inserted into the charging-tube through the cut-away portion, the hinge allowing it to enter without striking the end of the plu nger-bar. The said bar is then brought to bear on the block, which is about the length of the tube, compressing the tobacco in the cylinder. The plunger-bar is then retracted, as described, the chargertube filled in like manner to the cylinder and again slid up to the latter. the plunger-bar again moved inward, so as to drive the charge out of the charging-tube into the cylinder and compress the whole. The charging-tube is then slightly retracted, so that the key I) can be dropped into the slots in the lugs b and lock the front of the cylinder by gravity, the said key holding against the outer surface of the front disk, T, of the charge. The key passes through the notch f in the plunger-bar, so that the latter can be retracted. The cylinder is now rolled to the rear end of the way a and another filled in like manner. When the way a is about full, an assistant at therear end begins opening the cylinders, emptying them of their contents, and rolling them consecutively on the car 0 upon the way a, over which they are transported to the way u, and then rolled off the car and carried over the way a to the car 0 on the way a, to be returned empty to the compressing mechanism. The time the cylinders remain on the track a, after being charged, till they are opened at the other end of said track, (the tobacco being under compression all the time,) prevents the plugs from swelling, and yet the compressing operation is never suspended.

It is essential that the compression should be done horizontally, as sh own and described, else the cars could not travel around without changing theirhorizontal position; besides, no room of ordinary height would accommodate the mechanism,which is necessarily quitelong,and the men who used thellever would have to stand upon a high platform. Another reason for the horizontal position of the cylinders while being operated on is that it would be almost impossible to fill them evenly with the disks and plugs, as the latter would fall in the cylinders and often turn edgewise.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. .In a tobaceo-pressing machine, the combination of the iorming-cylinders, the horizontal ways a a a a, the cars traveling on the ways a a", the trucks supporting the formingcylinders traveling on the ways a a and resting on the sections cot' track on the cars, while the latter travel over the ways a a, the abutment block secured to the mechanism-supporting frame, and the compressing mechanism, constructed substantially as described.

2. In a tobacco-pressing machine, the combination of the forming-cylinders, the horizontal ways a a a. cf, the cars traveling on the ways a c", the'trucks supporting the formingcylinders traveling on the ways a a and resting on the sections c of track 011 the cars, while the latter travel over the ways a a, the abutment block secured to the 1neelianism-supporting frame, the charging-tube, the hinged follower-Mock, and the compressing mechanism, constructed substantially as described.

3. In a tobacco-pressing machine, the combination of the forming-cylinders provided with the slotted lugs 11", the tapered key 1), formed to drop into the slots and lock the front of the cylinders, the hprizontal ways a a a a, the cars traveling on the ways a a, the trucks Z), each made or cast in one piece with the lower part of a forming-cylinder, traveling on the ways a a and resting on the section 0 of track on a car while the latter travels over the ways I a a", the abutment-block e, secured to the mechanismsupporting frame, the chargingtube, the hinged followerblock, the plungerbar moving horizontally and having the notch f in its end nearest the cylinders, and mechanism, substantially as described, to operate the plunger-bar.

4. The combination, with the mechanism, substantially as described, to move the plunger horizontally, the plunger-bar having the notch f, and the abutment-block e, of the frame A, the horizontal ways a a a a", the cars 0, traveling on the ways a a, and provided with the track-sections 0, stop projections c", and notches c, to engage the stops 0, secured to frame A, the trucks 1), supporting the forming-cylinders, moving on the ways a a and resting on' the section of track on the ears while the latter travel over the ways a a, the forming-cylinders B, made in two equal longitudinal sections, B B", ,provided with the hinges formed by the lugs I) b and rod 1), the slotted locking-lugs If, keys U'b, nut b", slotted lugs b key I), and flange 1), and having one end beveled at b, the end plug, I), the hinged follower-block d, and the charging-tube D, having its end beveled to fit against the beveled end of a cylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the frame A, the horizontal. ways, the ears traveling on the ways a a, the forming-cylinders, the truck I), supporting the latter, traveling on the ways a a, and resting on the sections of track on the cars, while the latter travel over the ways a? a, the abutment-block, the charging-tube, and the hinged follower-block, of thehorizontal IIS plunger-bar F, provided with the notch f, In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my rack f and handlef, and moving in the casown I aflix my signature in presence of two ing G; the friction-rollers g, the vibrating lewitnesses.

ver-block H having notch h, the links I I, le- Vet J, actuating-pawlK, pivoted double-armed PETER M. GUERRANT. lever L, links M M,-lever N, provided with pin 12, retaining-pawl 0, spring L, and notched Witnesses: horizontal retaining-bar R, all constructed and J NO. B. BOA'IWRIGHT, arranged substantially as and for the purpose a J. W. LAW. 10 described; a 

